Harry Potter and the space-time rift
by ObsydianNL
Summary: She thought it was finally over, she had hunted his last Death Eater to this cave. If only it was that simple, what she found opened a whole new can of worms, and maybe a chance at happiness. This is my first attempt at writing fanfction. Harry/Hermione, Fem!Harry/Daphne.G, AU
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

 _There's a woman standing in the middle of a large cavern, she's illuminated by the gloom of the green flickering light coming from the four torches flanking the rune etched platform. I slither around in the darkness, I "need" to get behind her ! I "Need" to kill her! I flick my forked tongue, getting a taste of my prey. I know she's dangerous and I'll have to be careful, I cannot fail him again! Slowly I slither along the wall, occasionally flicking my tongue to make sure she hasn't moved._

 _She hasn't, and I start approaching carefully, using the sparse cover: a few barrels, a desk and some other decaying furniture, chairs no longer able to support any weight. A bed with flimsy sheets and a rotting mattress. As I move closer I can hear her talking… "No, Yeah, I know it's not my fault… Look that bastard did it willingly… what do you Mean not our problem !?" Who is she talking to, I briefly wonder? Well no matter, just a few more yards and she'll pay for what she's done. "Look, I'm going, with or without your help!... Don't you dare give me the temper speech…" I inch closer while coiling the rest of my body, the anticipation is almost unbearable. I build up in height coiling my head back, ready to strike, I want to go straight for her neck. That filthy servant's corpse comes into view, diary still in his hand. Now I can hear the other voice too "Okay, fine, have it your way, you know this sav… Look out behind you !?" I don't hesitate for a second and my head rushes forward, jaw unhedged, poison dripping from my fangs._

 _Faster than I thought possible I'm struck, mid strike, frozen in place. The hole where her wand burned through the back of her robes is still smouldering. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, I saw it coming a mile away" she says icily. "Look, I've got to go, just make sure everything is ready" she continues, shoving something in her pocket while she is turning to face me. My rage at this filthy whore is quickly building as I try to break the spell. She looks at me with barely hidden hate, from behind those horrible piercing green eyes. Raven black hair tied in a braid, while a few curling locks grace the side of her face. She looks to be in her early twenties and she's still wearing that hateful sword on her hip. Wand in hand she crosses the distance between us, stepping over the corpse._

 _She stops right in front of me, her eyes level with mine. "Didn't think he had it in him to actually care for something other than himself" she says, her voice dripping with disgust. "This will be the second time I kill you". Slowly she draws that horrible sword, the runes decorating the deadly blade glowing white with power, I could swear I hear it calling for my blood. She puts the point between my eyes with practiced ease. My rage is over flowing, I can't move an inch but my mind feels like a raging storm, I can't fail him ! not again ! NOT NOW ! I look at the filthy whore defiantly, desperately hoping her spell will break in time. She looks back. Her eyes go wide, Her expression changes, she looks surprised… then she scowls and backs away… re-sheathing her blade she starts pacing back and forth with a thoughtful expression on her face, brow slightly furrowed and shooting glances at me while opening her mouth to speak but deciding otherwise. I desperately renew my efforts to break free, my spell resistant scales should not be affected like this! She stops and turns to me, her expression softens as she looks me right in the eye. Why is she looking at me like that? She opens her mouth and closes it again, briefly closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose._

 _When she opens them there is affection and determination. "Look, don't tell anyone about this, okay? I'll see you soon enough." She draws her wand and points it at my head. "Goodnight Harry" she says softly with a hint of sadness, her mouth opens again and she whispers 'stupefy'. I see the bright red light erupting from her wand and everything turns black._

Somewhere in Little Whinging, number 4 Pivet Drive to more precise, Harry Potter woke up with a start. His scar burning and throbbing, this was not the first time it happened this summer.

Watching Cedric die at the hands of the former marauder, Peter Pettigrew, would be enough cause. The ritual and subsequent resurrection of Tom Marvolo Riddle would leave most adults worse for wear, let alone a 14 nearly 15 year old boy. Although 'boy' would no longer be an appropriate description of the young mistreated man. Since his introduction to the wizarding world at 11 Harry has been through more life and death situations than most adults. Always brave in the face of danger and standing by his friends through thick and thin. But so far this summer they have not returned the favour. Leaving him alone to wonder what horrors Riddle is spreading with his loyal death eaters, and only nightmares to keep him company.

But this dream was different by all accounts. It was so vivid and life like, more so than the memories that keep haunting him. Still with every waking second he could feel the dream slipping away. Sighing he grabbed his glasses from the bedside table.

Looking at the ceiling he tried to recall what he had seen. He vaguely recalled a girl or woman with vivid green eyes. They seemed oddly familiar but right now he failed to place them. Then the words 'goodnight Harry' as a sort of whisper echoed in his mind. He felt strangely comforted by them. 'Beats the nightmares any time' he thought absentmindedly, although it would have been better without the burning scar.

He glanced over at his alarm clock "00:05" "happy birthday me" he whispered into his dark lonely bedroom while he looked around, moonlight filtered in through his open window and crappy curtains. Hedwig was out hunting as evident by her empty cage. Uncle Vernon didn't like it one bit but as long as the neighbours were unawares off any "freaky-ness" Hedwig was free to do as she pleased. The rest of his room was a mess, his books where spread around most off his room. Clothes filling the gabs his books did not cover. Normally Harry wasn't so messy but this summer he just couldn't find the energy to clean it up. Thankfully the Dursley's let him be most of the time, even "Big D" could tell that messing with Harry right now would invite trouble. Not that they knew or cared what happened to him at the end of term, but even they could tell something was off. So they ignored him and treated him like he wasn't there. This suited Harry just fine, as a matter of fact it felt like an improvement.

What he did have issues with where his "friends". He got 2-3 letters from both Ron and Hermione and they said fuck all. "Sorry we can't say more" "hang in there they're bound to get you over here soon." All the while Harry was being kept in the dark about all things from the wizard world. He didn't even know where they were! How could they leave him here to rot all summer after what he'd been through! He figured the Weasley's would invite him over after one or two weeks, but not one word. NOT ONE. The only thing he could do was watch the muggle news and hope there were no unexplained deaths or freak accidents.

And now this dream on his 15th birthday, it seemed important somehow but he couldn't figure why and what little he did grasp was slipping though his fingers. He could really use Hermione right about now, but then again he was too stubborn to admit it and far too angry to owl them. If they wanted to ignore him, 'fine', two can play that game. Still seething, he resigned to the unfairness of it all and fell into a fitful slumber.


	2. HP & ST rift - chapter one

**Chapter 1:**

 **1** **st** **of August 1995**

Somewhere deep beneath London in an abandoned subway station two bright white lines, about two feet high, appeared out of thin air. They appeared about four feet apart, floating in the air. Suddenly a gong sounded and the bright white lines flashed blue, pulsing with arcane energy, shaping the lines into inch wide beams. The gong sounded again, turning the beams yellow and extending them into the ground. Slowly the beams moved, revealing a circle of arcane symbols as the beams of bright yellow energy passed over the razor thin etchings in the ground. As soon as a whole circle was revealed another gong sounded louder than before and shaking the chamber. Dust rose from the floor charged with energy bursting from the forces released in the air around the circle. Immediately the beams turned back to white and started spinning with blinding speed. Revealing three more circles as the energy radiated out, tracing lines for that very purpose. Each circle was larger than the other pulsing with white energy revealing a complex runic sequence. As the beams kept moving faster the rune circles started to move in a counter clockwise direction from each other. Suddenly there was a loud crack, deep and unearthly as if something tore a rent in reality itself.

If one where to look at the bright centre of the middle circle one might have seen a person appear if not for the blinding light moving at incredible speed. A second or so later there was another crack, not as loud as before, more like air rushing in a vacuum about the size of a person. And then the beams slowed. Slowly but surely, its task completed as the energy in the runes dissipated. At last, the inner circle of runes lost their light as the beams disappeared. Except for the displacement of dust, and the new footprints left were the inner circle shone brightly just moments before, everything looked normal. Other than that there was no evidence of the arrival of a third visitor in as many days.

Mere seconds after the last bit off dust settled, a bright ball of fire appeared in the air. Moments later a wizened ancient looking man with a long white beard appeared, wearing brightly coloured, elegant robes, his trusted red feathered companion perched on his left shoulder. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry surveyed the scene from behind his half-moon spectacles. Normally the headmaster looked quite like how you would picture an eccentric but favourite grandfather. You could easily overlook the fact that he was regarded by many to be the most powerful wizard alive. Not today, however. This is the powerful wizard that went toe to toe with Grindelwald and not only lived to tell the tale, but defeated him in the process.

Dumbledore lacked the usual twinkle in his eyes as he studied his surroundings, weaving complex patterns with his wand to determine the source of the disruptions his instruments alerted him to. Worry etched on his face, Tom's return had hit Albus hard, he feared for young Harry and worried over the boy he had come to see as his grandson. He always knew Tom would return, he just hoped for more time. And now this, energies powerful beyond measure and with Tom on the lose this could not bode well. The first location he was alerted to had all the hallmarks of the self-styled Dark Lord.

This however was completely different, the mere fact that this location was used multiple times over the last few days suggested Tom wasn't involved. There is a lot to be said about Tom Riddle, but he is neither stupid nor careless. Still, it is beyond doubt that these incidents are connected. But how alluded the headmaster at this time. He had several guesses of course, but nothing substantial and right now he needed answers. The one thing he was sure about is that the runes somehow involved travel, but to where? And the more fearful question might be to 'when', he realized.

The first time he set foot in this abandoned muggle station was hours after his instruments went haywire. Now, with some fine tuning he was able to locate the power surge within minutes but apparently not fast enough. The wards he placed where destroyed without a trace as if they never existed. When he first found the cavern it was heavily warded with some of the darkest magic, there was no doubt in his mind that it must have been Tom. This he could not place, the residual magic made no sense to him. It was familiar but in a good way. Fawkes seemed to agree as he trilled a happy note, this brought the twinkle back the in headmasters eyes. "Fawkes my good friend, I shall take your wisdom to heart, I should have brought you the first time." Whoever used this location had Fawkes blessing, that in and of its self should be considered an endorsement not to be taken lightly. "Whoever these people are I hope they make themselves known soon. I fear my friend, that I need answers only they can provide" With worry back on his wizened face he grabbed Fawkes' tail and disappeared in a ball of fire.

\- x -

Violet appeared in her new home with a soft 'pop'. She looked around her spacious apartment between floor six and eight of an apartment building overlooking Leicester Square. Hidden with a Fidelius Charm. Nobody would ever notice the missing floor. In fact the previous owners found they couldn't quite recall the last place they called home. Although there was one flaw, the secret keeper could be one or two people at the same time. Violet wasn't really worried, she trusted this person with her life, and although she hadn't met this version of her guardian yet, she knew enough to know he could be trusted. They chose this location due to its proximity to Diagon Ally. Right now using magic wasn't really an issue, but for her plans to work she would have to be marked with the trace again. Her guardian went ahead and made all the arrangements, paid the right people to make sure nobody questioned her new identity, "Violet Wildmane", recently returned from Asia to finish her education at Hogwarts. Violet sighed, typical of her guardian to point out the one thing she really hated about herself. Her hair had always been uncontrollable as if it had a mind of its own, without magic it took an hour force it into submission. Violet would readily admit she was a little vain but what girl wasn't?

She walked around her new home to give herself the tour, it was sparsely decorated with a few boxes still needing to be unpacked. The apartment was quite large, there were four bedrooms beside the Master bedroom, all with adjoining bathrooms. The living room had floor to ceiling windows with an amazing view of Leicester Square. The attached kitchen with outfitted with all her mundane and magical needs. Opening the fridge she found a bunch of butter beers and some ready cooked meals. All in all there was enough to last till Flower crossed over. Flower was her somewhat eccentric House Elf who loved Violet as a mother would love her child. She had the annoying tendency to smother Violet, and she would worry and dote on her in a way eerily similar to a certain Weasley Matriarch. Still, she loved the little elf and would be glad to have her around. Right now her new home didn't feel like home at all. For the time being she would be utterly alone, separated from her few remaining friends and family. Violet opened the door to her bathroom, here she found a large bath and a separate shower, a bit overindulgent for one person, but she didn't complain. Soaking in a hot bath was one of the few things that could wash her worries away, and she could really use one right now so she opened the faucet.

A few minutes and a quick breakfast later she let herself slide in the hot water. Violet was a beautiful 21 year old young woman. She had slightly tanned skin and curves in all the right places. Long legs and heart shaped face, she had gentle features a cute nose and full pouty lips. Violet knew she was pretty but sometimes she viewed it as a curse. Some people tended to view her as a piece of meat and she had to decline many marriage-contracts in the past. Not that people did that often, her name gave her more grief than anything else. She was grateful to the few people that would look past her name and took the chance to get to know the real "her". These people quickly became her closest friends. Sadly over the last few years she lost quite a few of them, taken by Riddle and his minions. She sighed deeply, she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about the coming term. People wearing the faces of her closest friends would be there, with a history only she remembered. Moments never shared, memories never made. Still, it would be good to see them again, even if she couldn't make friends with them again. Reluctantly she got out of the hot water. Leaving her trusted sword, she put on a dress suitable for the muggle world. She strapped on both her wrist and ankle holsters watching them disappear as the charms took hold.

September 1st was weeks away and there was plenty to do before then. She grabbed the package left for her on the table and with a crack she disappeared.

-x-

She apparated to Diagon Ally for her first stop. It looked peaceful, shops still open and buildings whole. People were still wearing smiles on their faces and seemingly without a care in the world. Violet furrowed her brow, it was good to see people smiling but given the events that happened last June it didn't feel right. Her guardian told her the ministry here was in active denial, but to be told something and to see something are two very different things.

With a sigh she walked towards Ollivander's shop, she needed a new wand, her own would have a copy here and that could complicate things. She hated this, as any witch or wizard would tell you, a wand is more than a tool, it becomes part of you. She wouldn't leave her own behind of course but magic made with your own wand felt right, the same could not be said of another wand. Like flying a broom with missing twigs. It would still fly but not as good or as fast. And at Hogwarts she wouldn't be able to use her own. Having a second wand identical to one of her class mates would be hard to explain indeed. Reluctantly she put the wand in the invisible wand holster strapped around her ankle. At least she still had her sword, and to be perfectly honest, she didn't really need either to use magic. Steeling herself she pushed her way into Mister Ollivander's dusty shop, a chime announcing her arrival.

Two and half hours later Violet finally left the wandmaker's shop. She's less then pleased, Olivander refused to sell her a wand that did not fit her perfectly. How could she have known he had another phoenix holly wand? He saw the length was off and shortened it only to look at her with horror. Recognizing exactly what this could mean.

 _"_ _Miss Wildmane was it? I am most curious, you see even now this is not a perfect fit, as near as possible but it cannot be helped." He said with a sigh. "I know one that would match you perfectly… I know because I've sold it four years ago you see". Pausing he seemed to weigh his next words, looking her in the eye, as if to search for something. "Great people seem to match these wands, young lady, great indeed…" he stared off into the distance and I could see the shiver run down his spine. "no matter, have a good miss, a good day…." He murmured shuffling towards the back off his shop._

As long as he kept this to himself it should be fine. Right now she has more important things to worry about, in two day's she was supposed to be at the ministry so they could apply the trace. She stopped by the leaking cauldron to get some lunch. She was about to finish up when two people she hoped never to see again stepped out of the fire place. That silvery blond hair, smug look and an air of entitlement could only belong to a Malfoy. Although senior looked a little worse for wear. _'I wonder if he displeased his Master as much as he did back home'_ she thought. Trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible she tried to keep the hate and anger out of her eyes. Draco seemed even more arrogant than she remembered, yet to meet Voldemort she concludes. Violet had to fight the urge not to draw her wand and to punish them for all the wrong they had done or would do. It took her every ounce of self-control to let them go into the ally unchallenged, remembering this wasn't the Draco she once knew. After they left she quickly settled her bill with the proprietor before disappearing back into the muggle world.

Walking into a deserted ally she quickly applied a few glamour spells to her face. Making her hair auburn and changing the colour of eyes to hazel. Checking her appearance in her compact mirror and satisfied with the result, she checked the ally one more time before aparating to a deserted park near Grimmauld Place. She walked up the street but for some reason she cannot quite recall the house she's looking for. Sighing she finds a vantage point out of sight overlooking the square she recalled from her childhood. She knows it's the Fidelius Charm, now she needs to find out if it is Riddle's doing or someone more friendly.

"Ugh, this could take hours" she mutters to herself, a quick tempest tells her its 3 p.m. she settles in for the long wait. Focussing on her occlumency, 3 pm slowly turns into 4 and then 5. She's starting to feel bored. A yawn escapes her lips as she sits on the ground to relieve her now aching feet. Resting her head on her hands she begins to drowse. Two more hours pass as she fights to keep her eyes open, missing 10 minute windows here and there. She was about to call it quits when her peripheral vision was assaulted by something bright pink. Half-awake she turned her head just in time to see a woman with bright pink hair disappear between number 10 and 14. Violet smirks, there's only one person she knows who would willingly keep her hair in that colour. Satisfied she disappears with a crack.

-x-

With a small 'pop' Violet arrives in park near Pivot Drive. She didn't really want to do this but the longer she can stay hidden the better and for that she needed to make sure that a certain piece of parchment left Harry Potter's possession. She cast a quick dissolution spell and started walking towards number 4 Pivot Drive.

Violet didn't grow up around muggles, but she was no stranger to the muggle world. And she truly loved the vibrant life a city could provide, but walking down suburbia she felt ill at ease. This was a place inhabited by people obsessed with what they considered 'normal'. Everyone doing their best to be as dull and quaint as possible. Not one authentic person amongst the lot of them. Women using gossip as a favourite pass time too afraid to actually live and fall victim to the "talk" themselves. Men measuring their success by the size of their cars and the quality of their lawn mowers. No, Violet didn't envy Harry one bit, but then again he was with family and being loved makes up for a lot. Not that Violet lacked in that department but still it was different.

With such thoughts in her head she approached number 4 resting against a car parked on the side of the street waiting for the sun to set. She looked inside the living room windows to see a skinny looking woman clean an already spotless kitchen, and an overweight man sitting in a large comfy chair watching a telly she could not see. No sign of Harry or his nephew, but then again there were still plenty of hours left before sunset, and who would want to stay inside with this kind of weather? Still she was wondering, with Voldemort on the lose leaving the blood wards around the house didn't seem like the brightest idea. Not that Violet wouldn't have done the same were she in Harry's shoes. But she was curious as to why his aunt and uncle would let him. She needed a bit more information before she could make a plan to get in anyway and so she waited and she watched.

After some time the sun reached the horizon and it was quickly getting darker. The pair inside didn't do much, the fat man was still looking at the telly and the woman was reading some gossip rag. Violet glanced down the street as she heard people talking. There she could see Harry, a skinny boy wearing oversized clothing. Violet really didn't understand muggle fashion sense and this whole vagabond look seemed a bit weird. Then again it was a definite improvement compared to the rest of the neighbourhood.

Beside him walked a heavyset boy, definitely more muscle than brains. And he seemed a bit skittish. As they came closer she could hear them teasing and bickering. She didn't really pay attention as she moved away sticking to the shadows. The dissolution charm isn't foul proof and right now she needed to stay hidden. So she crept behind the car staying out of view. She peaked around the back end to see them slip inside the house and close the door. She kept watch till the lights went out before she moved across the lawn towards the back of the house. She could feel the wards as she passed through them, staying low to the ground she stuck to the hedges at the property line. She moved slowly towards the single tree decorating the backyard. As she inched closer she noticed something out of place, a shoe standing oddly upright a few feet from the tree. Then a soft snore and Violet dropped flat on the ground, instinctively reaching for her wand. She should have known, of course they didn't leave Harry unguarded. Suddenly she heard flapping wings as a beautiful snow white owl soared off into the in the night sky. Shit, apparently Violet wasn't the only one who heard the owl. She heard someone cursing softly only to see the shoe disappear moments later. Staying as still as possible Violet inched backwards hoping the darkness was enough to keep her hidden from the invisible stranger hidden underneath the tree.

She kept a careful watch at the tree and ground around it, looking for the tell-tale depression caused by a person. She heard movement and could see the grass being dented towards her. They were separated by at least 20 feet but he or she could move freely, Violet didn't have that choice. Another imprint 18 feet, heading straight in her direction. Shit, she needed to disappear and fast, being discovered ruined any chances of getting the map until they got to Hogwarts and then it might be too late. She started crawling backwards hoping Harry's guard was still drowsy enough to not notice her. But it was a long way to the street and the lanterns didn't help her plight either. 15 feet now and she could hear sniffing. That's weird, why would… then she realized who it was. Getting out of this without him noticing was becoming more unlikely by the second. She knew she could out duel him any day and Sunday twice over but she didn't want to raise a wand at the old wolf not to mention breaking in and taking the map by force. And she couldn't be discovered, not on these terms. 10 feet! It would take a miracle now… all noise faded away as all she could only hear the beating of her heart. 4 feet, fight or flight… suddenly she heard someone scream in the house now behind her. She heard someone running past her muttering "please let it be another nightmare" with a slight hint of panic as the voice moved towards the backdoor. She saw it open carefully without the barest hint of sound before it closed again.

Violet let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, trying to calm herself before hunching back on her feet and rushing back the way she came. Keeping low with the dissolution charm still active she rushed two streets over before finally apparating back to her new apartment.

"To close for comfort" she muttered as she dropped on the couch, weary from her long day. Still she got the information she needed. Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get inside without raising suspicion. With plans forming in her mind she drifted off into a deep peaceful sleep.

 **August 2** **nd** **1995 10:30 p.m.**

Violet was dressed in a pencil skirt and neat blouse, carrying a bunch of files and a clipboard in her left hand. Her hair glamoured to look deep brown, and blue eyes hidden behind smart looking glasses. She had a purse hanging over her right shoulder, her sword hidden within its magically enlarged space. Wands hidden by her holsters, ready for anything. She squared her shoulders walking the last few hundred yards towards Harry's home, her annoying high heels the only sound disturbing an otherwise peaceful evening. Today she would get her price and after wasting hours in the public library followed by several visits to certain government agencies. She felt she had the perfect cover. A few confundus charms to the right people and she had the credentials to prove it. She would enter the house under the pretence of a random child welfare check-up for one mister Potter. She would of course be required to check the bedroom of said child without his caretakers to make sure everything was in order. She knew it was bogus, Albus would never leave Harry in a place where a visit like the one she was about to make would be anything other than a simple formality.

Violet made her way to the door, stuck-up junior social worker persona in place. She pressed the doorbell and waited patiently. The last time she spotted Harry he was at least 10 minutes away walking back slowly with his oversized cousin. If all went well she could even meet him fulfilling the promise she made a few nights ago (although he wouldn't know it). After about 30 seconds the door opened revealing Petunia Dursley. She frowns at Violet, eyeing the folders in Violet's left hand suspiciously. "Missus Dursley I presume?" she nods "I'm Rose Smith, here on behalf of the commonwealth concerning your young nephew Harry Potter."

The colour drains from her face and her eyes go wide. "Y-es yes off c-course please come in" she stammers making Violet frown. Something is very wrong here… this is not what she expected. She follows the skinny woman inside. "Vernon" she calls nervously "we have company concerning Harry" "What did that horrible boy do now!" a voice bellows from down the hall. Violets expression hardens immediately as the obese man walks into view. His face shining red with anger, he glances at Violet momentarily confused, she can see the wheels turning behind his beady eyes. "who are you and what brings you here and what do you want with that 'freak' at this ungodly hour?" spit flying from his mouth at the word freak. Receiving a not so subtle elbow in his side courtesy of a visible sweating Petunia. "This d-d-dear is a s-s-social worker coming t-to check up on Harry" she explains to her husband. Vernon's face seems to lose some off his colour as he realizes the implications. Violet makes a decision, she hates doing this but she has to know. Focussing on petunia's eyes she used passive ligitimacy to search the surface of her mind. Violet doesn't like what she sees as vague images of Harry's mistreatment flash trough Petunia's mind. She's seen enough. Only casting the actual spell would bring the full extent of Harry's hardship to light. How could Dumbledore allow this!?

Inside Violet is screaming with rage. The oversized clothes and skinny to a fault are shown in a different light. She slowly feels the control on her magic slipping, a tiny arc of power jumps inside her hand. And she feels the glamour on her eyes and hair fading. She was about to give them a piece of her mind as she felt something icy touch her soul, the soft white light coming from her handbag confirming what she already knows in her mind. She looks at Petunia with unfiltered rage "Contact Dumbledore NOW!" Violet commands as she loses the last bit of control. The glamour spell failing as power ripples through her body. "Harry is not alone and Dementors won't discriminate as you obviously have" she adds with venom as she kicks off her pumps and rips her skirt dropping the bogus files to floor. She quickly retrieves her sword dumping her purse with everything else in the hall. Meanwhile Petunia hasn't moved an inch, face ashen as if she's seen a ghost. "Now Petunia, Voldemort might be near!" Violet repeats more urgently with a trace of panic as she snaps her wand into her hand casting a silent point me charm. She heads out of the door breaking into a sprint as soon as her feet hit the grass. Petunia is managing to break from her shock in time to yell she doesn't have a way to contact the wizened headmaster. Cursing Violet picks up speed summoning her mirror from the purse she left in the hall. She catches it mid-air without breaking speed yelling "Sirius Black" hoping it will warm. The cold is becoming more tangible and in the distance she can see the lights flickering and failing. Suddenly the mirror flashes hot, she holds it up staring into a confused and haunted face. Shit wrong black, well too late now… "Padfoot, send help! Dementors on Pivet Drive, I don't know if they are alone and Harry isn't home!" with that she turns the mirror off firing her Patronus towards the closing darkness hoping she's on time…

-x-

Harry is lying on the cold stones in the ally where he just got the wind knocked out of him by a panicked Dudley Dursley. He can hear the faint screaming in the back off his mind while trying to find his wand in the deepening darkness. His glasses lie broken beside him and he can feel blood running from his nose. He starts to panic, they are close now, desperately he yells "LUMOS" hoping his wand will respond. And by some miracle it does as he sees the faint glow of his wand a few yards to his right. "Dudley keep your hands in front of your face and your mouth closed, DON'T let them kiss you!" Harry yells as he scrambles for his wand. Suddenly the screams are louder and he can feel his mind slipping away as his fingers wrap themselves around to only thing that can safe them. 'Come on happy thoughts' he thinks desperately as he fights the horrible memories summoned to the forefront his mind.

Suddenly a bright silvery form speeds past him, smashing into a dementor inches to his left. He can feel the warmth returning as the horrors of his past recede to the background. He looks around to see a bright silvery form of a patronus. Even without his glasses he can tell what it is. Stunning him in the process as the silvery doe chases the dementor away. Then his mind kicks back in: "Dudley". Not wasting another second he yells "EXPECTO PATRONUM". The silvery stag bursts from his wand, charging the dark figure hunched over his nephew's shaking form. Harry feels his heart sink as the dark creature rises from his nephew's now still body just before his patronus slams into it. "Dudley no…." he whispers as he moves towards his still form. Dementors forgotten, his patroness fades away as all his attention is focussed on Dudley and what that vile creature did to him, nobody deserves that. Watching Cedric die again and seeing Dudley's soulless expression finally breaks the dam as hot tears stream down his defeated face. He doesn't even notice the cold return as he drops to his knees grabbing Dudley's hand, wand slipping from his fingers. Neither does he notice the shadow above him nor the triumphant rattle of the dementor hovering above him ready for his second meal. Images and sounds shoot trough Harry's mind as despair grabs hold of his soul.

With a loud crack Harry is snapped back to the present. The dementor is held to the wall by some unseen force, the wall showing cracks from the impact. The next moment Harry is pulled back by a woman. He watches as she draws a sword decorated by bright white symbols. Muttering some foreign language under her breath she thrusts the sword forward pinning the struggling dementor to the wall. Harry can feel the effect immediately as the warm summer air returns. The woman continues muttering under her breath as she starts drawing glowing white symbols on Dudley's forehead and chest with her wand. "Harry watch my back, when the second circle fades cast your patronus and command it into my sword!" she tells him with urgency. "It's up to him now" she mutters under her breath as she starts to work. Suddenly Harry sees white symbols shine through the back her blouse forming three circles down the length of her back. At the same time a silvery mist starts flowing from the sword towards Dudley's body.

As he watches the mist becomes more solid and forms two tendrils connecting to the glowing symbols on his head and chest. As soon as the tendrils connect the woman places two fingers near both sets off symbols. "Grab your wand Harry, and be ready" she says, lost in focus. Then she starts muttering under her breath again, Harry can feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as magic saturates the air around them. Quickly grabbing his wand he moves back a few paces. Watching her he sees the symbols in the top circle losing their light one by one. As each one fades a burst of light shoots op the tendrils into the impaled dementor, causing it to scream in rage. About halfway through the first circle the direction changes as a bright white ghostly substance starts inching up the sword leaving the vile creature's chest. Harry is still watching the woman's back, notices she is perspiring heavily as her white blouse sticks to her skin and he sees her raven black hair greying.

As the last symbol fades the now gone circle flashes briefly before the first symbol in the second circle starts losing its brightness. By now her hair is completely grey, slowly turning white. Meanwhile the ghostly substance has moved past the sword and is traveling down the connection towards Dudley's body. Harry realizes what's going on and notices a problem, Dudley is moving too slow and symbols keep fading faster and faster as the unknown woman starts to shake. Just four more symbols to go and Dudley isn't even half way yet. "Come on Dudley, where's "Big D" now?" Harry shouts tauntingly, and it seems to have some effect as Dudley is noticeably faster but still not enough. "Fight Dudley" Harry shouts in desperation as the second to last symbol fades.

Violet kept her eyes closed as she fights against the dementor. The strain on her magic and by extension her life is enormous as soul magic is very dangerous. For Harry and her own sake she hopes Dudley is strong enough to make it back to his body. Violet was still drained from crossing over with only about a third of her magic reservoirs still available so Dudley didn't have much time. The rune etchings on her back represented the state of her magic core. She never touched her 3rd circle because it could damage her ability to regenerate the magic she spent. But for this ritual she had to focus on the connection between her, the boy and the dementor. Because of this she could not spare the attention needed to check the power within herself. She could still remember the pain from the needles as the magic ink entered her back, so another could keep an eye on her as she performed this ritual. Of course this wasn't the tattoo's only purpose as it offered her some unique advantages. She faintly heard Harry yell something, as she became more and more exhausted. After what seemed like an eternity to her, she heard the words that set her free. Breaking the connection to Dudley's body as she opened her eyes in time to see a silvery stag disappear into the hilt of her sword. The dementor screamed out in agony as it was being ripped apart from within.

Utterly exhausted she looked at Dudley's face. He still looked like a lifeless shell and she could hear Harry sob behind her. Violet didn't turn around, she doubted she could handle the pain on his face. With great reluctance she stood up to retrieve her sword from the wall. Tattered robes dropped to the ground, the only evidence of the now destroyed dementor. Finally she turned around to see Harry Potter shaking, staring intently at Dudley's body. "Harry, did his soul touch his body?" Violet asked "Yes, and is…" Harry swallowed "is he going to make it?". "Yeah he'll be fine, he might seem a little off till he does something life affirming" Violet said gently as she sighed in relief. "Now Harry I know you have a bunch of questions but I can't give any answers for now. And I have to do something to you, something you're not going to like and I need you to promise me you won't fight it ok?" Harry looked at her still shaking and confused and now a little angry "Thanks for saving us and everything, but I think I deserve an explanation! Who are you? And how did you even find us?" he said raising his wand slightly "Look Harry it's been a long day for me and I don't have a lot time. The order is about to arrive and I can't be here when they do" she replied impatiently, absentmindedly summoning her handbag "now I need your promise Harry" Harry sighed, clearly not happy "Ok fine, what are you going to do anyway" Violet looked apologetically at Harry "I need you to forget some details about me, but first let me give you something" she said as she conjured a glass vial. Grabbing it she brought the tip of her wand to her temple drawing out a silvery substance and depositing it in the vial. Handing it to Harry. "Give this to Dumbeldore, now are you ready?" she asked. Harry frowned at her "You won't obliviate me will you?" "No Harry a confundus will do, you won't forget what happened but you won't be able to remember certain things about me" Harry nodded, and with that Violet raised her wand muttering the words, satisfied she catches her handbag as soars in her hand and disappears with a 'crack'.

-x-

Padfoot's mind was going a mile a minute, he send out a frantic message to all the order members he could reach as soon as he got the call for help. He was pacing up and down the kitchen in his hated ancestral home as more and more order members arrived. Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Moody and the elder Weasleys were now talking in hushed concerned voices. They were waiting for the last person to arrive before port keying straight onto Pivet Drive. Sirius was getting more and more impatient. Almost 10 minutes passed since that strange woman appeared in his mirror. He knew it could be a trap, and although he didn't really get a good look at her face as she was running, she still seemed familiar somehow. Besides his nickname wasn't known by many which confused him even more. For now he trusted in the urgency and obvious concern laced in her voice.

Remus tried to calm him down placing a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off, too worried and frantic to be calmed. Being stuck in this house took a toll on Sirius, he felt like a helpless prisoner unable to help Harry. It went against his very nature. Sirius more so than James was a man of action. And now knowing in his heart Harry was in danger and just sitting here waiting was killing him. He failed his godson once and he would not do it again! They tried talking him out of joining them of course, but he could not be persuaded to stay behind. Although it did take a promise to change to Padfoot to get them off his case.

Two more long agonizing minutes went by before the fireplace flashed green to reveal Dumbeldore. There was no twinkle in his eyes as he pointed his wand towards a plate in the middle of the table muttering "portos" under his breath, making it glow blue for a second. "Time is of the essence, please grab hold of the plate so we may go" he stated with urgency. Sirius quickly put his finger on the edge as the rest did the same. "Remember as soon as we have Harry safely in our custody everyone is to apparate safely to the burrow. From there we will floo back to headquarters" Albus said to the room. As Albus finger hit the plate he muttered "rescue" and Serious could feel the familiar pull as he was torn out of the kitchen.

Seconds later he and the rest of the order slammed into the street in front of number 4 Pivet Drive. The Dursley's still visible behind the open door. An ashen Petunia sitting on the floor being awkwardly comforted by Vernon. Wasting no time Sirius raised his wand casting a quick "point me" charm and rushed down the street changing into Padfoot as the rest of the order followed. They spread out, keeping an eye out for any sudden movement only to relax as a visibly shaken Harry walked towards them supporting an ill looking fat boy. Sirius bounded over to his godson pressing a wet nose against his wand hand, tail wagging wildly. "It's good to see you to Sirius" Harry said tiredly, a small tired smile gracing his lips. "Harry what happened?" Remus asked lowering his wand as he approached "I think we would all be interested to hear what Harry has to say, but this is not the place nor the time to have that conversation" Dumbledore said. "Arthur, if you would be so kind as to escort young mister Dursley back to his parents. As to the rest" he spoke to the group at large "I think we should stick to what we previously discussed, I shall meet you back at headquarters as soon as I am able" With that Arthur Weasley took over from Harry putting Dudley's arm around his neck in support. "Poo, quite the weight on that one" he said to Harry winking as a he took off followed by Dumbledore. "Alright then, you heard the man, Harry you're with me" Moody said with a gruff. Harry hesitated for a moment, his wand held tightly in his hand looking suspiciously at Moody. "Alright I can see your point, quite embarrassing that stuff last year was" he said clearly embarrassed as Tonks barely supressed a snicker. "Kingsley, can you do the honours then? Introductions will have to wait" Moody grumbled as he disappeared. With that the large dark-skinned man walked up to Harry "Grab my hand and hold on tight, this will be slightly uncomfortable" he said. Harry did as he was told and with a crack he and Kingsley disappeared, soon followed by the rest as an obviously relieved and slightly disappointed Sirius changed back to follow suit.

-x-

After arriving at number 12 Grimmauld place and practically being force fed chocolate by missus Weasley, Harry was quickly ushered upstairs so the "Order of the Phoenix" could have their meeting. He was, of course, not invited. Why should _he_ be allowed to know anything? Fuming, he opened the door, only to be enveloped by a fierce hug from his bushy haired friend. Holding him at arm's length, making sure he was alright, she began rapidly asking questions. "Are you OK Harry? We heard about the dementors, we were so worried, what happened? Sirius got this strange call for help you see, they were afraid it was a trap. How was your summer so far? Sorry we couldn't tell you more. They were afraid the owls might get intercepted, how were your aunt and uncle? They didn't…" "Give the bloke a break Hermione" Ron interrupted as he gave Harry a one armed hug, rolling his eyes at Hermione. "You alright then, mate?" "Yes Ron I am fine" Harry responded sarcastically "I just got assaulted by two bloody dementors, had to see my cousin get kisses, only to have some strange woman rip his soul back from the dementor and putting it back into Dudley's body!" he continued all the while raising his voice "Being told absolutely nothing, like all bloody summer, I might add" Harry spat, his voice still rising "So yeah, other than those things I am perfectly FINE!" he finished angrily, making his friends flinch. "Harry we wanted to tell you but, Dumbledore ordered us not to" Hermione said apologetically "Yeah mate, we wanted to tell you, but orders you know" Ron added a bit ashamed. Harry knew it wasn't really their fault, but right now he didn't care "You're supposed to be _my_ friends!" he said, still fuming. "Look Harry, mate, we're really sorry, we would have told you something if we could!" Ron defended "And besides it's not like we really know anything anyway" Hermione finished. "I WATCHED CEDRIC DIE RON! I WATCHED HIM COME BACK, I NEEDED YOU, THE BOTH OF YOU" Harry screamed at his two best friends. "Harry we are so sorry, please calm down" Hermione said with a shaking voice. "We understand mate, so… what happened tonight?" Harry was about to tell Ron to go fuck off, when Sirius opened the door "Harry, Dumbledore is back and if you're up to it, we would all very much like to hear what happened tonight." This rubbed Harry the wrong way, but he wasn't really looking to pick a fight with his godfather, so he, Ron and Hermione followed Sirius downstairs to the kitchen.

-x-

In the kitchen they found Dumbledore, Lupin, Moody and Ron's parents in a hushed conversation. "Ah, Harry, please join us" Dumbledore spoke while indicating a chair for him to sit, silencing the rest. Taking his que Harry sat down still fuming he pulled out the vial he received earlier. "The woman who saved me, asked me to give this to you sir" Harry told his Headmaster through gritted teeth while his friends sat down beside him. "Most curious" the headmaster said while taking the vial. "Harry, do you know what a pensive is?" Harry gave a sharp nod _'he should know he caught me using the one in his office'_. Hermione being Hermione raised her hand. "Ah, yes, miss Granger" the headmaster said with a twinkle in his eyes, indicating she could answer. "It is a device used to view memories Sir, they are quite rare I believe" Hermione said matter-of-factly "You are correct of course, and I am afraid that, since school is not in session, I cannot award you points for the answer" he answered with a smile, making Hermione blush "you see this vial contains a memory, and it so happens, that I am fortunate enough to be in the possession of a pensive" he continued "one of my more prized possessions, if I do say so myself" he added as he stood up and walked towards the fireplace. Grabbing a bit of floo powder he stuck his wand arm into the fire to retrieve a rune etched bowl. Hermione's face lit up in excitement as the headmaster put the bowl on the table placing the memory within. "Now, for this particular pensive to work, we must enter it. If you would be so kind to follow me" he said while sticking his head in the wispy liquid and disappearing within. Anger forgotten momentarily forgotten, Harry followed his headmaster.

-x-

It was in the early hours of the morning when Harry's head finally hit his pillow. After watching the events off the previous evening through the eyes of his mysterious stranger, Dumbledore retrieved Harry's own memories of the events. During the trip into Harry's memories they found they were unable to make out the woman's face, and her voice seemed distorted. They were all quite shocked when Dumbledore couldn't undo the confundus charm cast on Harry. And in the end they all had more questions than answers.

What shocked Harry the most, was that he had almost been expelled. When Dumbledore was talking to the Dursley's the owl arrived, followed minutes later by minister Fudge himself. Even Fudge couldn't deny what had happened after seeing Dudley, so, he reluctantly dropped the case. At first Harry couldn't figure out why the minister was so eager to see him expelled, then they gave him the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. Fudge had apparently started a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore, disputing Harry's version of events after the 3rd task last June. Harry was furious at Fudge's denial, but, Harry finally felt included and was in much higher spirits than he had been all summer. And so when Harry closed his eyes, he drifted off into his first nightmare free slumber of the summer.


	3. HP & ST rift - chapter two

**Chapter 2:**

 **August 3** **rd** **1995:**

Violet just got back from the ministry, she was once again unable to use magic. Well not completely, the ministry can only track magic cast with a wand, so technically she still could and well you know wards. But at the moment she was utterly exhausted, both magically and physically. She was also in a foul mood, to be able to pass as a fifteen year old, she had to wear a bracelet that would make her appear younger. The problem was that it not only made her look younger, it also made her feel younger. So now she felt like a teenager in the middle of puberty, hormones and all. Those bloody goblins must be laughing their arses off, she thought angrily. But then again, they did take great pride in their work, and she couldn't deny it worked, just a bit too well. Looking in the mirror she could tell she was an inch or two shorter. Her breast were a bit smaller, and a lot more sensitive. The lines shaping her face a little less pronounced. The difference wasn't that big, originally she had stopped growing at about sixteen. So she could easily recognize herself. But somehow she could find faults everywhere.

The most vexing part was that she only had to remove her golden, rune etched bracelet and she would be back to her old self. The problem was the magic involved with the trace. It would set off all kinds of alarms at the ministry if it was removed before her 17th birthday, supposedly in two years. And she didn't need the attention that it would undoubtedly draw. So for the foreseeable future she was stuck living through puberty again.

To top it all off, she didn't get the map, and revealed more than she wanted to. Now she had to figure out a way to keep her sword close without anyone noticing, she could hardly keep it at her hip. Luckily she already had the answer, so called "soul compartments". The process could be painful and it required a lot off study and preparation. First she had to get her strength back and recover from last night's ritual. She hoped to have it done by September 1st and still have time to visit the gaunt shack. So for now she picked up a heavy tome and started her research.

-x-

Harry woke up to the sound off his stomach growling. He put on his glasses and got dressed. Judging by the amount off light filtering through to the curtains, Harry guessed it was around noon. He figured they let him sleep in as there was no sign of Ron. He was grateful though, this was the first good night's rest he had all summer, even if it cost him half his day.

Even during the day the house seemed gloomy, giving off a depressing vibe, Harry noted, as he made his way down towards the kitchen. Faded carpets and crumbling wallpaper hinted at a once rich and opulent townhouse. Now it was as dark and depressing as the mounted house-elf heads he passed on the second floor. Still he would not let this house ruin his good mood. He was finally amongst friends and away from the Dursley's. He entered the kitchen to find Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Missus Weasley eating lunch. "Harry! Good to see you up, give me a moment and I'll make you something, anything you'd like?" "Anything will by fine, thank you missus Weasley" Harry responded stifling a yawn. He sat down besides his friends who all wished him a good morning and continued telling Fred, George and Ginny about their trip into the pensive. By the time they finished filling the twins and Ginny in, Harry ate his fill.

Soon after they were all recruited into cleaning duty. Now mind you, cleaning a house is a lot of work, cleaning a house saturated by dark magic is an absolute nightmare. Doxy infested curtains, bogards hidden in closets and rooms trying to outright kill you. Harry and Ron were assigned doxy duty and spend the rest of the day spraying the annoying creatures with poison. Things were still tense between Harry and Ron but as the day wore on they started joking and complaining about the work.

At the end of the day they were exhausted but satisfied with the work they accomplished. After dinner Hermione approached them with a pensive look on her face, biting her lower lip. For some reason Harry had a hard time looking away from the sight.

Hermione grabbed both his and Ron's hand and led them to one of the recently cleaned rooms on the second floor. After closing the door she waved her wand at the door and muttered a spell. She held up her hand before they could protest and silenced them. "Now we wait…" she muttered under her breath. It took thirty seconds but finally Ron couldn't hold it anymore "Bloody Hell Hermione!" he exclaimed while Harry just looked at her bewildered. "Well I figured since we are under a fidelius charm the ministry wouldn't be able to detect underage magic. Now if I don't receive an owl in the next ten minutes I think we should be safe" Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "Now don't get me wrong, this his house desperately needs a cleaning, but, I for one think our time could be spent doing more useful things" Ron immediately groaned "Please don't tell me you want to homework or worse, work ahead" he pleaded with a shudder. Hermione just huffed and crossed her arms under her now very noticeable bosom, Harry noted, and missed the scowl she shot at Ron. "No Ron I mean we start practicing offensive and defensive magic. I mean we have access to one of the most extensive private magical library's in the world and with the trouble Harry seems to attract…" she trailed off looking at Harry imploringly, he blushed realizing he was still staring at her chest. "I think that's a great idea Hemione!" He said immediately couching into his hand and finding the wall behind his bushy haired friend very interesting.

He couldn't deny the trouble that seemed to be following him around. The only reason he was still alive was through sheer dumb luck and Hermione now that he thought about it. Luckily she didn't notice his staring or his reddening cheeks and gave a triumphant grin before looking at Ron who reluctantly nodded in agreement, but not before looking at Harry with an expression Harry couldn't quite place before he schooled his features. "Great! Now I know I am a bit off a hypocrite for suggesting this" she said with a blush before looking at the floor "butithinkitwouldbeagoodideaifwehiredobbytohelpcleanthehouse" she blurted out. Harry couldn't help but laugh, "Slow down Hermione, I didn't catch any of that" She sighed deeply before swallowing her pride "I think it would be a good idea if we hire Dobby to help clean the house, that way they don't have a reason to put us to work" Harry had to blink twice before thinking he imagined what Hermione said, noticing her reddening cheeks, which he found looked very cute, he said "So let me get this straight, first you actually suggest we break the law, and now you suggest we hire a house elf!?" He asked with only half faux incredulity to her obvious increased embarrassment, judging be the spreading of her blush "Who are you and what have you done with our Hermione?" He finished with a lopsided grin, making her hit him in the arm with a half-hearted "prat" thrown in but she had a small smile on her face which was what he was aiming for.

"Ok let me play devil's advocate here for a moment" Ron said seriously "First off, my mum is never going along with this. Second, we need a space big enough to practise and it needs to be able to withstand spell damage. Third, while the library might be big it's probably as dark as snuffles last name. Finally, eeeermm ow wait no that's all I have right now…" he finished sheepishly while rubbing his nose. Hermione hummed in agreement striking a thinking pose.

"I think we should get Sirius in on this, I mean it's his house and he probably knows which books we can use. Besides he's my guardian, no offense to your mum but she really has no business telling me what I can and can't do, same goes for Hermione" Harry suggested "And she can hardly deny Ron if we both get permission from Sirius. Besides if we tell her it's for schoolwork and revision she can hardly complain, both your grades aren't the best you know" Hermione added with half sincere disappointment. Both Ron and him ducked their heads in embarrassment. Harry vowed to do better this year, it wasn't like the Dursley's cared if he did better and for some reason he didn't want Hermione to be disappointed in him anymore. "Ok first order of business, DOBBY" Harry called which was promptly followed by a soft 'pop' and the arrival of a beaming sock wearing house elf "The Great Harry Potter beez calling Dobby?"

-x-

A scream ripped through the night as Daphne was brought out of her nightmare. Silk sheets stuck to her perspiring skin, tears flowed freely from her clear blue eyes, as she slowly realized she was in the safety of her bedroom. She sighed heavily as her heartbeat settled down. This was the third night in a row she was woken up like this. Her dreams started out nice enough. It was as if she was reliving her Hogwarts years but with subtle and not so subtle differences. She had different friends but they were all hazy and she couldn't quite make them out, it was a lot less tranquil, with more laughter and excitement. Her own experiences at Hogwarts were quite dull, she was never involved in any of the drama that seemed to follow The-Boy-Who-Lived around. But her dream self always seemed to be caught in the middle of whatever happened. To be honest she kind envied her dream-self until just before she woke up. Each dream ended in a nightmare, it was always murky but she knew something horrible happened to her. Daphne shuddered again as she quickly got out of bed to take long bath.

When it was time for breakfast she dressed in some lose fitting robes and made her way down to the informal dining room where they usually had their meals. They only used the formal dining room on special occasions or when their visitors were traditionalists. She knew how to act as the perfect pure-blood princess off course, her family just didn't put much stock in it. Her father once explained it was pure luck they were still part of the sacred twenty eight.

One of her ancestors was forced into union of such misery he cursed the family name, since that moment the Greengrasses married for love. Even thinking about forcing a child into a marriage resulted in pain. Actually signing a contract resulted in death the moment the quill touched paper. So the fact that the male line was still pure was something of a miracle, that they had the power and wealth they had, even more so.

Daphne was brought from her musings when she found a stranger conversing with her father in the informal dining room. The young man was quite handsome, aristocratic features and wavy brown hair. From what she could see she would label him 'tall dark and handsome' if she was into men that is. Donning her 'Ice Queen' mask she made her way over to her father and gave him kiss on the cheek. "Good morning father and…" she trailed off extending her hand to the stranger. He took her offered appendage and brought it to his lips "Riddle, Tom riddle" he introduced before lightly dusting his lips to her fingers and offering a charming smile that would reduce most girls to puddles of goo. "My oldest daughter, Daphne" her father said, tenseness evident in his voice. Which puzzled her till she got a look at Riddle's eyes, which she swore flashed red before turning to a more natural light blue. "Now, now, no need to worry, Marcus, I mean you and yours no harm" the young man interjected smoothly, but it did little to alleviate the tenseness she now noticed in her father.

"To get back to my earlier request, for which your daughter might as well be present, as it will affect her too. I need you to rally support for an increased DLME budged in the Wizengamot. Subtly hint to Bones to start a recruitment drive. Preferably amongst the half-blood and muggle-born population, they won't be swayed to the 'other' side. Meanwhile start spreading doubt about fudge's leadership qualities, Sirius Black lack of a trail will make a good starting point" as the young man paused to take a sip from his tea, Daphne was connecting the obvious dot's but she couldn't understand his motives. The name Riddle didn't really mean anything to her but it did to her father who seemed downright frightened, now that she noticed the signs, which in turn made her very uncomfortable. Her father swallowed thickly and asked the question that was to didn't presume to ask "Why? I know who you are, what do stand to gain in this?" well she wanted to know who he was to so she could better understand the last question. Riddle smirked "Curiosity killed the kneazle or so they say, but I'll indulge you. Yes he's back but I am not him, well not entirely. The bigger problem, for him anyway, is how I came to be here and more importantly what, or rather who followed after me. I'll be frank, I no, we dabbled in arts without fully understanding the consequences, which my counterpart is still suffering from. Our original goals are lost to him as evident by the blood he spilt in the last war. Such a waste, how much magic have we lost with the families he wiped out?" He asked with frustration and regret clear to see, which Daphne didn't trust one bit now that she knew the horrible truth about man, no **Dark Lord** sitting at their table.

Then he chuckled, eyes alight with dark amusement "I think that's what the old fool would like me to say anyway. He is a threat to all magical's, his methods will expose us to the muggles and if they step in it will be the end of our world" he said with utter conviction "The rest of my reasons are my own. Marcus you have the book. Get Black a trail by All Hallows Eve and push Fudge out the moment Black is declared innocent. The Black fortune will fund much of the needed changes, hell ride the positive PR of reuniting the Boy-Who-Lived with his sworn Godfather and take the position for yourself" Then he got up and moved towards the hall, without turning he gave his last parting shot "Tell Dumbledore of 'your' plans and demand safety for your daughters. It would be shame if harm were to befall them" then he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving a thoroughly distraught Daphne and her weary father behind.

-x-

 **August 29** **th** **1995:**

It had been almost a month and Violet had gotten increasingly frustrated, it started with the reality of Harry's home situation. It made her question who she could trust, she wanted to approach Dumbledore on September 1st but now she didn't dare, she needed more information first. A bigger part of her frustrations had been the magic she was attempting. The tomes she had on the subject were vague and at times deliberately misleading. The need for misdirection was obvious, what she was trying to learn could be used in evil and dark ways. She was essentially learning how to bind things to her soul, in her case she wanted to use it to bind both her wand and her sword. They would literally become part of her, she would only have to think about either, and she would be able to will them into existence. And because they would become part of her, they couldn't be used to harm her. The manner in which Violet was planning on using this piece of magic, was how it was intended, imagine a witch whose wand you can't take away! Unfortunately in the wrong hands it wasn't quite so innocent, one could for example bind a lethal virus or a dark artefact. It would give the binder complete immunity to its effects, while releasing death and destruction. As an example one of the texts she read suggested that the "Black Death" was actually spread by a Dark wizard, using that very method. But today she made a breakthrough and she had finally succeeded!

"Flower I did it!" Violet exclaimed as she rushed over to envelop the little house elf in a tight hug, kissing her on the on the cheek. It had been a long process but she finally managed it, and she was ecstatic. It had been a long time since she found joy in accomplishing a spell or a piece of magic. One off the few perks of being a teenager she mused happily, releasing Flower who in turn smiled fondly at her. "Flower is very proud of yous, Flower is very happy to see yous smile like that" pausing and with tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she whispered "It has been too long little petal". Violet blushed and her smile turned a little sad. "I know Flower, it still isn't finished, and maybe after this is all over…" "Flower knows little petal, Flower is still worries about yous, and Flower is wishing it be done soon". Violet bent down and embraced Flower once more, wiping her own eyes as she released her longest friend. "Bloody hormones" she muttered making them both smile. "Ok, one last thing and I am ready for Hogwarts" Violet said wiping the last traces of moisture from her eyes. "Flower can you bring to the gaunt shack?" The little elf seemed to gather courage before grabbing her hand and nodding. With a small 'pop' they left the apartment behind.

-x-

Hermione was having a really strange month, for one she had been purposely breaking the law. Mrs. Weasley was against the idea of course. It had taken a shouting match between her and Mr. Weasley for her to finally see reason. The Headmaster hadn't been pleased, still wasn't and she didn't understand. The pensive memories had shown her how dangerous the times had become and how woefully underprepared they were. She couldn't understand why the Headmaster wouldn't want them to train themselves, or be trained by the various order members. It had shaken her faith in the powerful wizard. The argument that they were just kids didn't hold up against past experience, which Harry rightly pointed out.

This brought her to the second strange occurrence, Harry. He was studious, worked hard and didn't complain once. He started picking her side whenever she had an argument with Ron. The compliments and looks he shot her were nice too. She pretended she didn't notice off course, she didn't wanted to sort out her own feelings first. She had had a crush on him since the bathroom incident and now that he might return those feelings she was getting scared.

She noticed Ron's looks too which didn't help at all. She could see her two friends drifting apart over this and she was at a loss over what to do. The smug look Ron shot her when he got the prefect badge like he had already won her, like she was some prize, it didn't endear him to her at all. Harry was stoic but she could see the hurt in his eyes, she was disappointed too.

When McGonagall delivered their Hogwarts letters Hermione could tell she was displeased as well. While Ron was her friend she wasn't blind to his faults and she didn't think he was suited for the position. While Harry might have a tendency to break the rules he mostly did it with a valid reason. He was honourable, had strong morals and wouldn't abuse such a position. Well maybe against some Slytherins but honestly Ron would be far worse.

Thankfully Harry didn't resent Ron for it while he was obviously disappointed, he instead focussed on training. She had been pleasantly surprised by his growth both physically and emotionally. Their Occlumency training obviously helped with that. Still she was surprised, it seemed Harry was finally done slacking off. Now if she could just figure out what to do in regards to her friends feelings. Should she ignore both and ensure they stayed friends? Or should she be selfish and listen to her heart?

Mrs. Weasley yelling that they were leaving in five minutes brought her from her musings. They had school supplies to buy and since You-Know-Who was lying low it would probably be the last time in while they could freely enjoy the wonders of Diagon Ally in peace. Grabbing her purse she quickly rushed downstairs, visiting Flourish & Blots and losing herself in some books sounded like a great idea.

-x-

Fear and uncertainty had ruled the Greengrass household for the last month. Dark times were coming and the family had been busy preparing itself. Daphne and Astoria were granted access the family grimoires. Their older brothers had moved back into the manor and the extended family had been warned. Duelling skills were polished and refined, the ward stone was reinforced to war standards and the lethal protections were activated.

All the while Daphne's dreams continued, as the month progressed they started to become clearer and clearer. One of the previously obscured characters stood out, a raven haired beauty with emerald green eyes, a girl that made her heart beat faster. But the ending were no less horrible filled with blood, pain and suffering. Last night was different though, as soon as she fell asleep she found herself in a warm sitting room. A fire cackled merrily in a grand fireplace flanked by two comfortable highbacked armchairs. It was then that she noticed one was occupied and she felt compelled to take the other. When she took her seat she was confronted by a slightly older version of herself. Her older-self looked confident but worn and weary, there was a sadness in her eyes that the small smile she had couldn't hide.

"Hi Daphne, I guess I should start with an apology" she began "I am sorry about the dreams, I tried to spare you the horrors but I couldn't. As much as I would like to deny them they left a mark that is sadly a part of me now" she continued with a grimace. "I know this must all be very confusing to you so I'll try to explain. I am you from another reality. The dreams showed you glimpses of my life, when I died a part of me stayed with my Love, and when she crossed over to this reality a month ago, that part followed.

This had some unforeseen consequences, you see we are one and the longer that part stayed the more you merged. In a few hours it will stop being separate and you will be the only Daphne Greengrass here. This will mean that I will be unable to continue to keep watch over my love, only in death will I be able to meet her again. Since there can only be one of each in any given reality, it is possible for a time before the merge and it seems we will reach the limit soon" she said with a sad smile before she became serious "There are exceptions, you met one already and you will meet the other at Hogwarts, but then again she never existed here"

Her voice broke at the end and Daphne started to feel uncomfortable. There was something fragile about her older-self as she seemed lost in her memories, then her form wavered and changed. Horrible scars marred her delicate features, words carved into her forehead and jagged lines disappeared beneath her robes. One of her eyes was missing and she couldn't see her ears. Then she shimmered again and she back to her older-unblemished-self.

Daphne couldn't stop the look of horror that appeared on her face "What happened to you?" she whispered "The war happened" she snarled "I was captured and for three weeks his minions had their way with me. I was kept in a fidelius protected location so my Love was unable to come to my rescue" she told Daphne with a haunted look in her eyes "You have seen parts of my ordeal in your dreams" Then she smirked cruelly "They paid for each and every wrong they inflicted upon me though, and then some. My Love's rage and vengeance won us the war. She left only blood, ashes and severed limbs in her wake, no Death Eater was spared her wrath, it was magnificent" she added with a bitter laugh "I saw the pensive memories before I succumbed to my wounds" Her older-self said with satisfaction, before she became solemn again and looked her straight in the eyes "I have a favour to ask of you. My love blames herself for what happened, it's what led her here. She has closed herself off and I am afraid she will lose herself. Wil you help her?" She pleaded and Daphne could hear the unasked 'love her' "I'll try" she said weakly and then she woke up.

The request had been on her thoughts for the rest of the morning. If she hadn't seen the scars she would have sought out the raven haired beauty in a heartbeat. But now she was absolutely terrified, especially since meeting Tom Riddle. It was no coincidence that he sought out her father, she didn't know what his game was, but she was somehow involved. She was sure of it, his parting comment all but confirmed it. The question was obvious would she be willing to put herself at risk for a chance at happiness? Would it be worth it? She would wait till Hogwarts and meeting her before making a decision.


End file.
